No Tobacco Day moves to Keetmans

The Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS) with the support of the World Health Organization (WHO) and other partners in health will commemorate the World No Tobacco Day on 31 May at Stephanus Stadium in Keetmanshoop.The theme of this year’s commemoration will be Ban Tobacco Advertising, Promotion and Sponsorship with the slogan: Tobacco kills, say NO to tobacco use and smoking.The World No Tobacco Day for this year focuses on a comprehensive ban of all tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship as required under the WHO Framework Convention for Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC). Evidence has shown that comprehensive advertising bans lead to reductions in the numbers of people starting and continuing smoking. The global tobacco epidemic kills nearly 6 million people each year, of which more than 600,000 are non-smokers dying from breathing second-hand smoke. The WHO said in a statement “Unless we act, the epidemic will kill more than 8 million people every year by 2030. More than 80% of these preventable deaths will be among people living in low- and middle-income countries.”The ultimate goal of World No Tobacco Day is to contribute towards the protection of present and future generations not only from the devastating health consequences, but also against the social, environmental and economic scourges of tobacco use and exposure tobacco smoke.